Over 100 ‘Bengali-speaking’ migrants of Goalpokhar detained in Haryana

Raiganj: Over 100 Bengali-speaking migrant labourers from villages, including Biprit and Lodhan, under Goalpokhar police jurisdiction have been detained in Panipat of Haryana, purportedly because they spoke in Bengali, according to family members. A viral video emerging on Thursday showed the migrants being transported in police vehicles, sparking outrage across the state.

Relatives of the detained workers allege that Haryana police singled them out purely over language. On Friday, family members met the Block Development Officer (BDO) of Goalpokhar and urged swift and safe repatriation of their loved ones. Gulam Rusul, Sahakari Sabhadhipati of the North Dinajpur Zilla Parishad, condemned the incident and said: “Detainees from the district are being harassed in BJP‑ruled states like Haryana, Delhi, Mumbai and Gujarat, allegedly for speaking in Bengali. Raiganj’s BJP MP Kartik Chandra Paul has remained silent on the crisis.

Congress leadership in our district have not reacted so far. Gulam Rabbani, Minister of State for Environment and Renewable Energy and MLA from Goalpokhar, already has flagged the issue with the Chief Minister and local police for help.” Meanwhile, TMC has mobilised support for the affected households. Assistance booths have been established at Itahar and Kaliyaganj in North Dinajpur. The distressed families are registering complaints and receiving aid from assistance booths. Musaraf Hossain, MLA Itahar along with other TMC representatives, have engaged with Itahar police officials to press for action.

Musaraf Hossian said: “Over 200 families whose members are detained in Delhi, Rajasthan, Haryana and Maharashtra have approached the assistance booths. We dealt their issue to the police for their repatriation soon.” Residents of Boikunthapur and Radhikapur in Kaliyaganj have similarly lodged grievances through booths set up locally.

One Khudiram Roy, shared his anguish over fears that his three sons are facing similar crisis in Delhi and Maharashtra for speaking in Bengali despite working legally. Mahammad Nurjaman, president of the Kishan Khetmajur Sangha (TMC), said: “The state leadership, including Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, are actively engaged in securing the safe return of the detained migrants. We are meeting the distressed families with an assurance to stand by them.”